Pararescue jumpers train 'that others may live'

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Francesca Popp
  • U.S. Central Command Air Forces
CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti (AFNEWS) --  They train for the worst things imaginable and respond to the unthinkable. Paraescue jumpers, or PJs, can be found in the mountains of Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa or the streets of Iraq -- prepared to undertake any situation to recover a servicemember.

At Camp Lemonier, a small group of PJs from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., and assigned to the 48th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron stands ready to respond.

"When the (unthinkable happens), they call on us, and we go in and take care of it," said Tech. Sgt. Josh Swartz, a 48th ERQS PJ. "It's pretty cool to be in that situation where you're the only one trained to do that."

Squadron members train daily to hone their skills. If the PJs are not jumping out of aircraft or practicing rescue dives, they are in the classroom teaching each other how to improve their techniques.

"I feel Djibouti is a great deployment environment to train in. We have the sea, mountains and open areas for different types of tactical movements," said Senior Airman Jake Purvis, who is deployed for the first time and assigned to the 48th ERQS .
The PJs train high above Djibouti as well.

"We also jump at least twice a week," said Sergeant Swartz. "The jumps could be free fall or static line, with or without equipment. Sometimes, we drop the quads (all-terrain vehicles). And, we dive to hone our underwater skills. We also practice close-quarters combat. That's when you clear a room, take down the bad guys and rescue the good guys."

When asked what it means to be a PJ, the 29-year-old Sergeant Swartz said people in his career field must have "a solid heart, mind and spirit.

"A PJ is a person who wants to go in and rescue somebody when that person is under fire, getting shot up," Sergeant Swartz said. "The kind of guy it takes to be a PJ is someone who is willing to put himself in that situation."

Pararescue jumpers primarily function as recovery specialists, with emergency medical capabilities in humanitarian and combat environments. They deploy in any available manner into restricted environments to authenticate, extract, treat, stabilize and evacuate injured people. They can also go into a situation in an enemy-evading, recovery role. PJs participate in search and rescue, combat search and rescue, recovery support for NASA and conduct other operations as appropriate.

The Airmen train on about 250 core skills. They must successfully complete nine different courses and it takes at least two years to complete thoeir initial training. The training begins with a 10-week indoctrination course at Lackland AFB, Texas.

"It's a rigorous program that they put us through to get us comfortable with water and stress," said Airman Purvis.

They go to combat dive school, survival school, airborne and freefall school, as well as pararescue school. They learn how to shoot, perform combat maneuvers and communicate with devices ranging from radios to satellites.

"Once you get to your first duty assignment, you have to learn how to incorporate all the tactics and techniques into the squadron with the training you already have," said Sergeant Swartz.

The 48th ERQS members are incorporating all these skills through constant training and exercises while deployed. They are among the most highly trained emergency trauma specialists in the military. They must maintain an emergency medical technician-paramedic qualification throughout their careers. With this medical and rescue expertise, along with their deployment capabilities, PJs are able to perform life-saving missions in the world's most remote areas.

The training they do in the Horn of Africa helps ensure "that others may live." With that motto, it reaffirms the PJ's commitment to saving lives and self-sacrifice.

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